Your Sustainable Life Issue 7

YOUR SUSTAINABLE LIFE WWW.YOURSUSTAINABLELIFE.COM.AU THE ECO FRIENDLY MAGAZINE ONLINE ONLY

APRIL 16 ISSUE #7

Flinders Ranges Getting back to nature Exploring our own backyard!

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Issue 7

YOUR SUSTAINABLE LIFE

Feature Flinders Ranges National Park

Recipe Pumpkin & Feta Salad

Do It Yourself Building Your Backyard

Leadership A gift to you from your best self

Wellness The Art of Streching

Brand Highlights Love Grows Jaydoe

BONUS FREEBIE Complimentary Stress Management Consultation

Photo by ­ Anthony Rossbach

EDITOR'S NOTE

Kelly Petering EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Welcome to the seventh edition of Your Sustainable Life ­ The Eco­Friendly Magazine. We trust you enjoyed our last issue and that you continue to find inspiration and motivation to lead a more sustainable life here in these pages.

The feedback we have received so far is fantastic, and would love those suggestions to keep rolling in! If you have something you feel would add value to this magazine please feel free to email us at info@yoursustainablelife.com.au.

One thing I would like to mention ­ we are about raising awareness and opening the door for every day people to gain insight into how they can live more sustainably in all areas of life.

We are NOT here to judge or make people feel guilty ­ it’s about doing what you can, when you can, with the resources you have available to you.

We are a starting point ­ and acknowledge that there are organisations out there who focus more specifically on certain aspects of sustainability ­ we LOVE that there are others out there with passion for our environment.

We are NOT experts ­ and certainly do not claim to know everything ­ we believe there is always more to learn…

We invite experts to write for us and encourage those who are learning to contribute too…

We want to create a movement of people who are on the same page ­ maybe you’re not at the stage of political activism or would ever consider living off the land out in the bush ­ maybe you are ready to make a few small changes in your life… and we want to acknowledge you for that!

Please share the subscription link to your friends and family and send us your feedback!

Simply CLICK HERE to subscribe ­ it’s 100% FREE!!!

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Photo by ­ Stefan Rayner WWW.YOURSUSTAINABLELIFE.COM.AU

Back to Nature Flinders Ranges

The next place I would like to highlight in our Back To Nature articles is ‘Ikara' otherwise known as the Flinders Ranges National Park in South Australia. As I mentioned in the last issue, working as a tour guide afforded me the opportunity to experience the best of what Australia has to offer… I was truly able to explore our own backyard (whilst getting paid for it)!

The Flinders Ranges was always a high point in my tours. We got to spend two days hiking and exploring the ancient gorges, Aboriginal artwork and local wildlife. Unlike in some other National Park in Australia, we seldom came across other travellers… It was often like we had the whole place to ourselves. Situated approximately 200kms north of Adelaide, this National Park is really not that far away from civilisation, which is why it astounds me that not many people have heard of it… let alone visited!

The mountain range itself is South Australia’s largest at just over 430kms long, comprising of numerous parks and conservation areas, including Mount Remarkable National Park and The Dutchman’s Stern Conservation Park. Flinders Ranges National Park encompasses what is arguably the most distinguishing feature of the range, Wilpena Pound. There are many attractions to see in the area, including the historic Pitchi Ritchi Railway, Scenic Flights, Camel Rides and of course Bushwalking.

Staying in the small, historical town of Quorn, we would head out early onto the dirt road down about 20kms to a small little place called Warren Gorge. Now, whilst not officially part of the National Park, Warren Gorge is absolutely stunning with its sheer rock faces and rare Yellow Footed Rock Wallabies. There is a camp site at Warren Gorge as well, which I have also stayed at post tour guiding days, that I can thoroughly recommend if you are looking for a true outback experience (there is a drop pit toilet and nothing else)!

Wilpena Pound is another highlight of the National Park. An interestingly shaped natural phenomenon, it is best seen from the air via a scenic flight or from the top of one of my favourite hikes Mount Ohlssen Bagge. You can stay at the lovely resort at Wilpena Pound if you are looking a more comfortable experience.

I highly recommend taking a 4WD into the Flinders Ranges, as some of the most majestic scenery is a little off the beaten track in some rough terrain ­ my personal favourite ­ Brachina Gorge where you can follow a ‘Geological timeline’.

The history of the area dates back over 540 million years ­ which to me seems rather incomprehensible ­ when the land went was folded and faulted into a very large mountain range. Over time it has been eroded away to what it is today ­ which is by no means setting any height records with St Mary’s Peak coming in at 1,172m!

Although not technically in the Flinders Rangrs, the small town of Quorn has also been used in several major films, including The Shiralee, Sunday Too Far Away, Gallipoli, Wolf Creek, The Sundowners, The Lighthorsemen and most recently The Last Ride.

Flinders Ranges is a great weekend or extended stay as it’s only a few hours north of Adelaide via the Clare Valley (a great place to stop for lunch and maybe a cheeky wine)! If you plan on heading further north up through the centre of Australia via the Oodnadatta track you may like to stop in at the Prairie Hotel in Parachilna, a 4 star accommodation provider with it’s very own pub and brew.

For tours through the area check out Topdeck or Real Aussie Adventures.

By Kelly Petering

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A gift to you from your best self

By Angela Kambouris Vision boards are fabulous concrete representations of your goals, dreams and aspirations for creating an extraordinary life. It supports you to move forward toward growth in the most important areas of life and inspires you towards concrete daily actions in pursuit of your big hairy audacious goals.

When designing your year, focus your energy on creating a year of extraordinary. The big secret is to work towards closing the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Our outer world is a reflection of our inner world. When creating magnificence in life, it is to create it from the inside out.

Knowledge is power that drives extraordinary experience.

When we get clear on our passions and our unique strengths, it creates an opportunity to explore our purpose and define our goals.

Let’s start with….

What makes you laugh?

What’s the most important thing in life right now for you?

Who do you admire?

What’s holding you back?

What’s your greatest challenge?

What are your top 3 qualities?

What are you fabulous at?

What are your unique gifts?

What do you love doing?

What did you love to learn about when you were younger?

What positive feedback do people give you that you are good at?

Ange is super passionate about redefining leadership across the world, bringing back human connection and compassion. Her philosophy is simple – you matter, everyone matters and together we can make a difference.

As a global consultant, trainer and mentor, Ange shows people how to unlock their human potential, connect people back to their internal power and maximise results by leveraging their strengths. Self­leadership is the master key for aligning success in business, career and life.

AK Consultancy embraces you have unlimited potential and the ability to transform your life. When you transform your life, you transform the world.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT ANGELA KAMBOURIS ON FACEBOOK

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I Reflect on significant moments or memories. Are there any patterns or themes? Ie travel, family Reflect on your personal qualities, the attributes you bring, your unique strengths and passions. When you explore the threads of such rich information and clarify the inter­connectedness of those elements, your purpose becomes clearer.

Establish goals and take specific action to close the gap.

When we stand in our power we are clear with our intention. We accept that our intention drives our experience and when we change our inside our outside starts to follow.

Our past does not reflect our future and when we raise our inner standards, we magnify our brilliance and we exude love.

We appreciate the beauty of life and the world around us. Even in our darkest moments, we see the beauty within the world and are grateful for what we experience every day.

The vision board enables us to turn our dreams into a reality and serves as an invaluable tool to inspire one towards concrete daily action. The board represents our inner inspiration, our big hairy audacious goals and strengthens the desired state you wish to consistently experience.

Your vision board is a gift to you from your best self, an evolving work in progress that supports you to create a life of magic.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT ANGELA KAMBOURIS ON FACEBOOK

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Image ­ Maja Petric WWW.YOURSUSTAINABLELIFE.COM.AU

LOVE FERN

BY CLAIR MORRISON Does anyone remember the 'love fern' that Kate Hudson's bunny boiler character gave to her new boyfriend on 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days'?! This blog post is dedicated to all the crazy plant ladies out there :P I love ferns and use them a lot in my kokedama, In my experience they grow very well indoors however there are a few things you need to be mindful of when growing these guys indoors.

When starting out my business I was so dedicated to operating and maintaining a sustainable business I set out to make everything myself, so far ­ I have stuck to this goal. Although sometimes it seems a lot more time consuming and sometimes even more expensive than ordering online or hiring someone ­ it is far more satisfying !

By no means am I tech savvy but I can whole heartedly say that I have built my website from scratch, designed my logo and branding, made by own business cards and logo tags ­ hell I even mix cement!

I actually ended up making my own business cards out of frustration as I was finding it so difficult to source companies that use recycled brown Kraft card ­ and the ones I did find were either terribly expensive or overseas companies (I will only buy Australian made).

Instead of printing my logo on these cards and our tags I had a laser cut rubber stamp made with our logo ­ we use green stamp (to team with our theme hehe) and hand make every single one ­ I really need to invest in a guillotine as I had blisters on my hands from scissors! Although they may not all be even and perfect ­ they are 100% handmade with my own blood sweat and tears ­ I will pull all nighters, I will be working on weekends and promoting my cause until my voice is hoarse....because this is my passion and dream and I want to do my part in making a greener future for our children, their children and so on.

CLICK HERE TO VISIST WWW.LOVEGROWSPERTH.COM

Water Ferns need water, they will dry out and can die from lack of water. You should be able to tell if the kokedama ferns need water by following our 'water weight' instructs on our previous blog post about watering your kokedama. As a rule of thumb you should water them every 2nd or 3rd day depending on where they are located.

Humidity Ferns like humidity, dry aircon or heaters will dry them out so be mindful of this and make sure you keep them moist, I use a spray bottle of water to wet the leaves when they are indoors and in the air flow path of a heater or aircon.

Light Contrary to popular belief, although ferns grow well in shade they can also tolerate (and actually quite like light) obviously make sure it is filtered light and not direct sunlight or this will also dry your fern out.

Dry Leaves If your fern does dry out, you can revive it ­ trim off the dry leaves and keep it wet. If its a kokedama fern soak it in water once or twice a week and pop it in a humid environment like your greenhouse until it is back in shape.

Jaydoe - Every Day Eco

BY CLAIR MORRISON

When starting my business I wanted to focus on maintaining an eco friendly, sustainable business ­ which meant aligning myself with like minded businesses and groups. One of the businesses I am particularly impressed by is Jaydoe Eco Hair, this Scarborough based salon is really leading the way as far as sustainable businesses go.

Upon entering the salon I immediately felt relaxed, I'm not sure if it was all of the greenery or the friendly staff. The aesthetics of the salon are stunning, lots of recycled raw wood and natural light make you feel right at ease.

The salon also uses the Ecohead shower heads. Each Ecohead has a high­pressure flow of seven litres per minute that uses 56% less water than a standard shower head. Based on an average daily output of 600 litres per basin, that equates to savings of 330 litres of water a day for each chair. Sub­ micron filters remove all traces of sediment, rust and other impurities from the water, while tourmaline stones within the heads remove chlorine and generate negative ions that help smooth dry and damaged hair.

The salon also recycles all aluminum from foils, stocks natural eco friendly hair care products and are looking at starting a recycling station out the front of their salon. It was also an initiative of Jaydoe to donate $5 from every Love Grows plant sold instead of taking commission. The lovely staff are so passionate about running a sustainable business it has been an absolute pleasure working with them.

Check out this fab business http://www.jaydoe.com.au/: 'Jaydoe Eco Hair aims to transform our clients, ourselves and our world one small step at a time. We create beautiful hair naturally, in a warm welcoming environment where individuality is nurtured and celebrated. We commit to lessen our impact on the planet in our choice of products, our use of recycled and recyclable products, minimising our use of energy and embracing sustainability. A visit to Jaydoe is a chance to kick back, enjoy some pampering, good conversation and real barista­made coffee. Better still if you bring your own mug to cut down the waste! Jaydoe Eco Hair has chosen to stock only the best products in the industry. All the products we use are paraben and sulphate­free. Our hair colours are available in ammonia­free or low ammonia ranges, so if you’ve have had problems with hair colour in the past, we’d love to talk to you. We make the same hair­care products available to customers so that they can maintain their style effortlessly at home and inexpensively as well, thanks to our filling station. Bring back your empty bottles for a refill at a saving of around 30%'

ARTICLE BY CLAIR MORRISON FROM LOVE GROWS We are a home studio based in Perth delivering homegrown plants packaged in recycled, handmade and reused materials. We are committed to maintaining a sustainable business and believe that through education and encouragement everyone can make conscious decisions to help live a greener life.

Each day we feature a different #plantoftheday available to order for $20 until 1pm for same day delivery, unless sold out. Each plant comes with a care guide for the new owner.

Custom and Corporate orders, event styling and collaborations are also available. Email us to enquire.

Keep an eye out for us at Pop­up Venues, Local Farmers Markets and Trade Fairs, details on our events page.

Price includes delivery in Perth, orders after 1pm or on weekends will be delivered the next business day unless otherwise requested.

CLICK HERE TO VISIST WWW.LOVEGROWSPERTH.COM

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Recipe of the Month Pumpkin & Feta Salad Ingredients Spinach leaves Pumpkin Quinoa Feta Cheese Balsamic Vinegar

Method Step 1 - Peel and chop a medium sized Butternut Pumpkin into small bite size pieces and place in a pan with olive oil, salt and pepper to roast in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 10-15 mins or until roasted.

Step 2 - Boil 1/3 of a cup of black or red Quinoa in 2 cups of water, when cooked drain and rinse under cold water.

Step 3 - Crumble Feta cheese into salad bowl with pre washed spinach Step 4 - Add pumpkin & Quinoa Step 5 - Drizzle Balsamic reduction & toss WWW YOURSUSTAINABLELIFE COM AU .

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Photo by ­ Harshal Hirve

DIY Project Building Your Own Backyard Starting your own veggie garden can be rewarding and exciting endeavour ­ especially for your children. So, it’s time to get out into the garden… creating sustainability within your own garden (big or small) can be a fun project to get all the family involved with. There are so many ways to create a sustainable garden and I’m sure you can think of many more than I will discuss on this page, but here is a starting point.

Growing your own food. This is a great one if you enjoy fresh produce and being out in the garden on a regular basis. It takes some time to get a veggie garden set up, but well worth the effort in the long run. Not only will it mean you will have plenty of fresh herbs, tomatoes, chillies and whatever else you choose to plant, but it will also mean you will be more likely to eat seasonal produce just as we were designed to. A great starting point that will be less of challenge than creating a whole veggie patch is to have a windowsill box will a nice selection of herbs!

When you are ready and have some time to set aside for creating your outdoor veggie garden, have a look around your house for items that you do not use anymore that could be recycled as a raised garden bed or planter. We have most of our veggies in an old tin row boat and bathtub we picked up from our local recycling tip hard rubbish collection days are also great to find suitable items for this… Get as creative as you like!

Once you have your garden set up, you may also choose to start a compost bin. A compost bin will ensure your food wastes is of benefit to you and your garden rather than ending up in landfill. The soil that is produced from composting is nutrient rich and great for your new veggie garden, removing the need to use harsh chemical fertilisers and pesticides. An added bonus is that when you begin to use your compost on your garden it will protect your soil and also conserve water.

You can compost things like; Coffee ground & filters, Fruits & vegetables, Egg shells, Grass clipping, Leaves and Newspapers. There are many ways you can make your own compost bin… do some research and find a method that suits your budget and space requirements!

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Building Your Own Backyard You may find that once your garden is up and running you start to attract slugs and snails they love the leafy greens!

Instead of using pesticides to get rid of them, a simple, effective and eco friendly way to eliminate those unwanted slimy creatures is by make a ‘beer trap’. Using a recycled water bottle or anything that will not leak, pour some beer into the bottle and place it somewhere in your garden it will attract those slimy pests, keeping them clear of your beautiful produce!

If you have the space, consider getting a live chicken or two for your new garden. Not only will you never have to purchase eggs again, you will know that they are treated well and not locked up in cages! They are a very low maintenance pet and a great learning experience for children.

Planting native flora in your yard will help to conserve the biodiversity of our country, provide beautiful colour and attract native wildlife to your garden. Native plants are also more adaptive to the local soil and climate, reducing the need for constant watering. When considering planting native, do some research into your local area to find which plants will best suit your garden. You may also wish to investigate some native trees that can provide shade for your home during summer. Having large trees in your yard can keep sections of your house cooler, reducing the need for air conditioning.

Finally, you may like to consider installing a rainwater tank for watering your garden. I remember when I was younger living in Melbourne through a drought, everyone was on water restrictions… We used to have a bucket in the shower and diverted our washing machine water into an old rubbish bin to use on the garden because we didn’t have a rain water tank… and even if we did at that time, we may have still needed to go to such measures to keep any sort of a garden alive.

Keep in mind that every little bit helps, and it’s more about the sustainable habits you create than those once off moments.

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